1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for managing information on a carrier which carries an image recording medium, and to an image reading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photographic processing apparatus, which reads an image recorded on a photographic film by separating the image into red, green, and blue color components (R, G, and B), subjects the image data obtained by the reading to image processings such as correction and then prints the image on a recording material or displays the image on a display, has been proposed.
A film carrier is provided in the photographic processing apparatus for conveying the photographic film over a scanning section at a predetermined speed so that an image recorded on the elongated or sheet-shaped photographic film can be accurately read by a CCD sensor at high speed.
Film carriers have unique characteristics. Correction data for these characteristics such as the frame-conveying capability, the focusing position, the output of a film detection sensor, and the like are inspected and stored in advance in an EEPROM mounted on a substrate of the film carrier. Therefore, when the film carrier is mounted in the image reading apparatus, accurate image reading can be carried out by an image reading apparatus main body reading the correction data from the EEPROM and controlling the driving of the film carrier based on the correction data.
In the conventional structure of the film carrier, when the substrate of the film carrier breaks down, the correction data can still be used by removing the EEPROM from the substrate and mounting it onto a new substrate. However, recently, removal of the EEPROM mounted on the substrate has become difficult. Thus, when the substrate is replaced, the EEPROM mounted on the substrate is also replaced. As a result, when the substrate is replaced, the correction data for the film carrier needs to be inspected again, and the inspected correction data needs to be stored in a new EEPROM, thereby complicating resetting of the correction data.
Feedback of information corresponding to how the film carrier has been used (i.e., history) to a factory or the like is useful for the repairs and development of the film carrier.
However, a personal computer of the image reading apparatus main body, rather than the film carrier, stores the information on the use of the film carrier (such as the number of frames which have been read, the number of rotations of motors to convey the frame, and the like). Therefore, a problem arises in that such information cannot be obtained from the broken film carrier when the film carrier is sent back to the factory.
In a shop (laboratory) where a plurality of image reading apparatuses are used, a single film carrier may be used by all of the image reading apparatuses. In such a case, information on the use of the film carrier is stored in the respective image reading apparatuses. Therefore, it has been difficult to obtain accurate information on the use of the film carrier.
The information on the use of the film carrier can be stored in the film carrier. However, since the film carrier is removed from the image reading apparatus main body after image reading, a problem arises in that there is no appropriate time, during which the information on the use of the film carrier is read from the image reading apparatus main body and written into the film carrier. Although the information can be written into the film carrier the next time the film carrier is mounted in the image reading apparatus main body, this is undesirable in terms of time lag.
Namely, accurate management of the information on the use of the film carrier and feedback of the information to the factory or the like are desirable.